Genesis 15:13 Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
God promised Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, and that they would inherit the land Abram had settled in. What a joyous thought! Abram had left Ur to travel to a new land. He had settled near the great trees of Mamre and there God promised him land and descendants. But life met many difficulties; famine and a move to Egypt (chapter 12), Wars (14), A child from his maidservant (16), Destruction to the valley cities where Lot lived (19), and many more problems.
Life and the promised blessings of God come with many trials. There are a multitude of reason that trials come. Sometimes God is disciplining us (Hebrews 12:6), teaching us his ways. At others times God is using us to show others how to have faith in Him (1 Corinthians 10:11). And, often we suffer to give time for others to repent or because they are not yet evil enough for God's judgement (Genesis 15:16). We, then, are caught in the middle of the lives of others who are wicked and suffer for it. Yet we can be certain that God has not abandoned us, nor has he forgotten his promises to us. His timeline is vastly different than ours.
K and A, have you sensed a promise directly from God? Maybe you only see the ones written of in Scripture. Either way, know that God is not absent from your life. He knows exactly what he is doing. Trust him in the midst of trials being certain he will keep every promise! He doesn't change his mind like man (Numbers 23:29). He is trustworthy, you can count on him. You are to keep steadfast in your faith. Though Satan should tempt you to leave the ways of Christ to follow those who follow him, stand firm knowing that other believers go through the same trials (1 Peter5:9). And when you have done all you can to stand... keep standing (Ephesians 6:13)! For when the trials come, God is for you, and no one can stand against you when you have your trust and faith in him (Romans 8:31).
~Dad
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